Monthly Archives: April 2014

Niagara Falls is truly a one-of-a-kind tourist attraction, and it’s worth adding this stunning, roaring, unbelievable waterfall to one’s bucket list of travel sights. The waterfall itself straddles the border between Canada and the United States. In fact, Niagara Falls consists of three different waterfalls, each converging on the same location in a frothy, misty powerhouse. Because of its close proximity to the Canadian border, many tourists choose to couple a trip to Niagara Falls with a trip to Toronto, Canada. Toronto is the biggest city in the country, and it offers exceptional opportunities for shopping, fine dining, cultural experiences, and sightseeing.

Planning a trip to Niagara Falls via Toronto is relatively simple, as the city of Toronto offers several different travel options that will get tourists from their hotel accommodation in Toronto to the falls and back again. Here are some tips for planning a round-trip experience from Toronto to Niagara Falls.

Hotels Near Toronto Airport

For those planning to fly into the city of Toronto, finding hotels near the Toronto airport is the best place to begin. Because of Toronto’s extensive and high quality public transportation system, getting to and from a hotel accommodation in Toronto is relatively simple. Even though the airport is set just outside the city center, guests to the city can easily get to the center of all the action by hopping a train, subway car, GO bus, or public taxi.

Toronto airport accommodation is often more affordable than hotels in the city center, so this is a great option for families who want to save money on their trip. For individuals who wish to be in the heart of the city, accommodation in Toronto near the city center is a great option.

Planning a Niagara Falls Visit

Niagara Falls is several miles from downtown Toronto, and the city around the falls offers a variety of exciting tourist attractions, dining establishments, and shopping centers. For this reason, it is best to make a trip to Niagara Falls a daylong experience. Trying to squeeze a Niagara Falls trip into a half-day may make the visitor feel rushed or harried.

Car Rentals

There are several options for getting from Toronto to Niagara Falls, but the easiest by far is a car rental. Individuals who have hotel accommodations near the Toronto airport can talk to the concierge or the hotel manager to arrange for a rented vehicle. A valid driver’s license will be require, and some vehicle rental companies have age restrictions, but the process of securing a vehicle is relatively simple.

Prices range depending on the season in which the car is rented, special events that may be occurring in Toronto or at the Falls, and other factors, but tourists can expect to spend between $75 and $150 on a vehicle rental. This option may be best for families because a rented vehicle will allow them to travel at their own pace, choosing the stops along the way.

GO Transit

If renting a vehicle is too expensive or impractical for a tourist or tour group, there are other public transportation options worth considering. GO Transit is Toronto’s commuter train and bus transportation system, and guests can purchase special tickets for a journey to Niagara Falls. If tourists choose this option, it’s important to consider a few factors.

First, the train and bus schedules often change depending on holidays, special events, and seasons. Hotel accommodations in Toronto can provide you with updated GO Transit schedules, which will help in planning a trip to Niagara Falls. It is also important to choose Toronto accommodations that are close to Union Station, the departure hub for Toronto. Hotel accommodations near the CR Tower, the Convention Centre, or the Air Canada Centre are all close enough to walk to Union Station. Tourists who find hotel accommodations near the Toronto airport may need to take a taxi or bus to Union Station, and this will increase the cost of the journey.

While GO Trains are very comfortable for traveling and include washrooms and restroom facilities for the journey, there is no food or beverage service on the train. Guests are encouraged to bring snacks and water, especially if they are travelling with small children. Additionally, there is no reserved seating on GO Transit trains or busses. If tourists are travelling to Niagara Falls during peak hours or tourist seasons, or if they are travelling with a large group, they may wish to take this into account.

Bus Services

Two of the largest bus services in Canada, Greyhound and Coach Canada, offer round-trip and one-way bus journeys from Toronto to Niagara Falls. Tickets can be purchased in advanced, and guests can often choose reserved seating to guarantee that members of a large group can travel together. The journey from Toronto to Niagara falls will take about two hours by bus, so it’s important to start early. Both bus services start running before six in the morning, which means guests can arrive at the falls in time for breakfast. This is the cheapest travel option, as guests can get to and from hotel accommodations in Toronto for about $50.

Special Tour Packages

There are also several special Niagara Falls tour packages that may work better for large groups of tourists. Guests staying in hotel accommodations near the Toronto International Airport, for example, can pay around $108 for a round-trip that will take them directly from the airport to Niagara Falls and back again. This is a great, hassle-free option for those willing to spend a bit more.

Guided tours to Niagara Falls are also a great option. Guests can purchase package deals that include round-trip bus or train fare, options for boat rides or ferries in the falls, and even dining vouchers and special discounts on other attractions near the falls. Planning ahead of time is crucial when choosing this option, as during peak tourist seasons these tour options often fill up very quickly.

Niagara Falls is a worthy excursion to consider on a Toronto vacation. This tourist attraction is truly magnificent, and its proximity to downtown Toronto makes it an easy day trip for individuals, families, or large groups.

No visit to the beautiful country of Canada is complete without stopping at the largest city in the nation: Toronto. Toronto is the province capital of Ontario, and it is a bustling metropolis filled with five-star eating establishments, incredible shopping opportunities, museums and galleries, sightseeing, tourist attractions, and other amenities. The city is massive, and the latest census data reveals a population of over six million people. While Toronto has a thriving business and financial community, it is also a center for cultural and artistic experiences. Tourists can spend weeks in the city, staying at hotels near the Toronto airport or beautiful hotel accommodations in downtown Toronto, and still find undiscovered gems like unique eateries, boutique shopping centers, and hidden art sectors.

For those planning a first trip to Toronto, there are several must-see sights and experiences on the list. Here are five of the most popular tourist attractions in the city of Toronto. It’s easy to find Toronto accommodations that will provide immediate and easy access to these exciting sights.

The Eaton Centre

Visitors to the city of Toronto flock to the Eaton Centre, a massive shopping mall that features thrifty buys, high end department stores, delicious eateries and restaurants, art, and unique architecture. There are nearly 300 different stores in this indoor shopping mall, but the establishment never feels cluttered or oppressive due to its spacious layout and stunning glass ceiling.

Easily accessible by subway or other public transit options, visitors can opt for Toronto airport accommodation and quickly take a taxi, bus, or train to the heart of the Eaton Centre. Upon arrival, guests will be stunned by the artistic Canada goose mobile, designed by famed Canadian artist Michael Snow.

Using public transportation to access the Eaton Centre is the best way to save money while enjoying this Toronto attraction. GO Busses, a fast and efficient form of travel, have free parking lots for driving tourists. The Eaton Centre is located between Dundas Street and Queen Street. Most Toronto accommodations provide shuttle services or detailed travel instructions to help tourists find this bright and beautiful shopping mall.

The CN Tower

For architectural enthusiasts, the CN Tower is the beacon of Toronto. The CN Tower is the tallest structure of its kind in the whole world, and one look at the city skyline will reveal the impressive scope of this structure. The tower is over 1800 feet tall, and lies directly between the downtown sporting arena and the city convention center.

This is a great attraction for those wanting to experience the very basic sights of Toronto. Not only does the tower lift visitors more than a quarter of a mile into the air for impressive vistas of the city, but because of its downtown location, it is a great day trip that will allow tourists to walk the beautiful streets of Toronto and take in the big city sights.

The CN Tower is wheelchair and stroller accessible, so tourists of all ages and families of all sizes can easily access this impressive structure. Guided tours are available, and the lobby of the tower contains information about its design and construction. Because the tower is located downtown, it’s easy to find hotel accommodation in Toronto that will provide immediate access to this attraction.

Chinatown

Chinatown in New York City may be the region of Asian life that gets all of the media attention, but the Chinatown district in Toronto is second to none. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese and Asian immigrants have made Chinatown their home away from home, transforming this region of Toronto into a mini-Asia.

Guests who visit the area can dine at one of hundreds of fine Asian restaurants, sampling authentic cuisine from the other side of the world. Chinatown in Toronto is filled with ample shopping opportunities, and guests can pick up beautiful textiles, clothing, pottery, art, and Asian artifact reproductions to give as gifts.

This is the second largest Asian community in the Western Hemisphere, and there are plenty of affordable Toronto hotel accommodation options in this region of the city. Because Chinatown is such a popular attraction, though, visitors should expect massive crowds of people. Those wanting a quieter experience may wish to book hotels near the Toronto airport and take public transit to Chinatown.

The Distillery District

The Gooderham & Worts Distillery, one of the oldest establishments of its kind in the world, is located in Toronto’s historic Distillery District. This is a fantastic tourist area for individuals who want to experience something a little more unique than the traditional city sights. This “village” is completely pedestrian, which means there are no cars, taxis, or buses vying for street space. Additionally, no chain restaurants or franchised establishments are allowed within the village, so every store, shop, eatery, and cafe is unique to this area.

The Royal Ontario Museum

Tourists who have booked hotel accommodations near the Toronto airport can easily hop on a bus that will take them directly to the Royal Ontario Museum, one of the jewels of this beautiful city. Even if tourists don’t want to spend hours in the museum, it is worth visiting simply because of its stunning, abstract architecture.

Ticket prices for adults at the Royal Ontario Museum were just recently lowered to $16, and the rates drop even further on Friday evenings. Special discounts are offered for large parties or small children, making this an affordable and entertaining tourist attraction, and the Royal Ontario Museum features Canada’s largest collection of dinosaur bones, fossils, and recreated skeletons. Kids and grownups alike will enjoy the guided or self-guided museum tours, the eery bat exhibit featuring bats from around the world, the impressive preservation of Chinese temple art, and many more exhibits, which are changing constantly.

Toronto is truly a city of magic, beauty, and entertainment. These five tourist attractions are just a small sampling of the many sights and experiences available for first-time visitors. Securing accommodation in Toronto is a breeze, and top-notch public transportation options can easily direct tourists to these engaging locales.